Automatic clarifying sight feeder



Sept. 19, 1939. L. v. wEsT AUTOMATIC CLARIFYING SIGHT FEEDER Filed May 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lJi,---lieliil11h# 7 ATTORNEYS Sept. 19, 1939. L. v. WEST 2,173,640

AUTOMATIC CLAR IFYI NG S IGHT FEEDER INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 19, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

AUTOMATIC CLARIFYING SIGHT FEEDER 7 Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic clarifying sight feeder employed for the introduction of cleaning fluid or chemical into a steam boiler, Adomestic boiler, pipeline or similar device in which after a period of use scale and other foreign matter may accumulate and has f-or the primary object the provision of a device of this character to be used in connection with a chemical reservoir to control therefrom the chemical and permit the latter to be admitted into the water of a boiler in accurately determined amounts so that after a short use of the device on a boiler the operator may determine, and regulate the device accordingly, the amount of chemical necessary for the proper maintenance of the boiler free of scale and other similar foreign material so as to assure maximum efliciency of said boiler at all times.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a chem-- ical reservoir and an automatic clarifying sight feeder connected thereto and constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section, showing one of the connections of the sight feeder with the chemical reservoir and also providing the chemical outlet from the feeder to a boiler.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view drawn on an enlarged scale illustrating the sight feeder.

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a reservo-ir to be filled with a chemical used for removing scale from a boiler or as a preventive against the accumulation of scale in a boiler and has a iilling pipe 2 connected to its upper end and provided with a control valve 3 and terminating in a funnel 4. The filling pipe and funnel 4 permits easy filling of the reservoir I with a chemical after the opening of said valve. However, during the use of my invention the valve 3 is closed. Connected to the bottom of the reservoir is a drain pipe 5 having a cutoff valve 6. The drain pipe 5 is employed only when desiring to empty the reservoir of accumulated matter.

Extending through the top of the reservoir I and terminating adjacent the bottom of the latter is an outlet pipe I to which is connected a cutoff valve 8. A fitting 9 is connected with the upper end of the reservoir and includes a vent pipe Ill controlled by a valve II. Connected to the tting 9 is a main control valve I2 and the latter is connected to a pressure pip-e I3. The pipe I3 is preferably connected to the feed pipe of a steam boiler when my invention is employed in connection with a steam boiler and if not employed on the latter the pipe I3 is connected with some suitable source of pressure supply. A pipe I4 connects the valve 8 to a sight feeder i5 for admitting to the latter chemical from the reservoir, the amount of chemical passing from the reservoir tothe sight feeder being in accordance with the volume of clear water admitted to the reservoir by the main control valve I2. Chemical solutions are often clotty, gelatinous or actually contain solid matter all or any of which would clog a throttled feed control valve, thus a novel feature of this design is that clear water is fed into the r-eservoir through the feed control valve I2 just as the chemical is to be displaced from the feeding apparatus, the passages being comparatively large. Therefore, no trouble is experienced with clogging as occurs frequently where the chemical is regulated directly.

The sight feeder I5 is in the form of a body I 'l having the lower portion thereof enlarged and of substantially cylindrical formation to form in the lower portion of said body a comparatively large chamber I8. In the upper portion of the body and extending from the chamber I8 is an oil passage I9, the upper end being in the form of a goose neck and terminating within an offset 20 of the body. The offset 2li has threaded thereto a packing gland 2| which supports in communication with the upper end of the passage I9 the upper end of a transparent sight tube 22, the lower end of said sight tube being removably mounted in an oifset 23 forming a part of the body and in direct communication with the upper portion of the chamber I8.

A packing gland 24 is employed for removably securing the lower end of the sight tube 22 in the offset 23, the latter having an opening in its lower Wallin direct alignment with said sight tube so that when the packing glands ZI and 2A are released the sight tube can be easily removed. The opening in the lower wall of the offset 23 is normally closed by a removable plug 25. An outlet neck 26 forming an integral part of the body I 1 is in communication with the chamber I8 at the lowest point thereof. The outlet neck 2t CII includes a valve seat 2l engaged and disengaged by a valve 28 threaded in th-e neck. A packing gland 29 is carried by the neck and engages the valve stem 28 to prevent leakage. The outlet neck 2G has a pair of outlet ports, indicated by the characters 3B and 3|. The outlet port 3Q includes the valve seat 2l and communicates with a fitting 32. This fitting forms a part or is connected With a T-shaped fitting 33 and the latter is threaded on a support 32. Said support 32' is formed on the reservoir and cooperates With the pipe i4 in supporting on` the reservoir the sight feeder. Also connected with the T-shaped fitting 33 is atting 34 including a check valve 35. Connected with the fitting 34 is a pipe 3G. This pipe 36 leads to a steam boiler and is preferably connected into the latter below and adjacent to the steam boiler water feed. The check valve prevents displacement of the oil out of the sight feeder by the unbalanced weight of the chemical when the pressure causing normal feeding of the chemical fails for any cause.

Extendingr through the upper portion of the oil passage is and into the sight tube 22 is a feeder tip 3l. The feeder tip connects with a chemical passage 38 formed in the upper portion of the body and which communicates with a chamber 38 normally closed by a removable plug di). Also communicating with the chamber 39 and formed Within the upper portion of the body is a chemical passage 4I, one end of which communicates with a fitting (i2 employed for connecting the pipe lli onto the body while the other end terminates in a check valve seat 43. A check valve ifi cooperates with the seat to prevent back pressure in the sight feeder from entering the chemical reservoir but which will permit flow of chemical from the reservoir through the feeder tip 3l.

The outlet port 3l of the outlet neck 2E is controlled by a valve 45. The port 3E is employed for draining from the chamber i8 sediment. While it is preferable to employ the valve 115, as shown, other types of valves may be employed. The valve 2S is employed as positive cut off between the sight feeder and the boiler and the valve 8 is also employed as a positive cutoff between the sight feeder and the chemical reservoir.

Formed in the upper portion of the body and in communication with the oil passage i9 at its highest point within the body is a vent opening 4S controlled by a valve lil'.

The oil reservoir is lled with a suitable transparent oil preferably of the transformer type by removing the plug 4Q. The chamber i8 also becomes filled with the oil and acts as a reserve supply for the oil passage. During the filling of the passage IS and chamber I8 with oil the vent i6 is opened to prevent air from being trapped in the passage I9. It is to be understood that when the passage i9 and chamber I8 are filled with oil the tube 2?. is also lled with oil due to the construction of the oil passage I9.

In operation, the valves 28 and 8 are opened and the operator then manipulates the control valve to admit pressure into the reservoir i. This pressure forces from the reservoir the chemical through the passages 4i Yand 33 and through the feeder tip. As the chemical drips or passes from the feeder tip the chemical being heavier than the oil seeps through the oil by passing downwardly through the sight tube into the chamber i8 and into the discharge neck 25. The chemical being fed into the feeder as described places the oil or contents of said feeder under pressure and as the chemical seeps through the oil and enters the discharge neck it is forced on to the boiler by way of the pipe 3S. The chemical descending in the oil within the sight tube is readily observable by the operator so that during his observation he can regulate the control valve and thereby bring about a determined amount of introductions of chemical into the boiler. As the chemical descends in the oil of the sight tube it causes said oil to circulate downwardly and then upwardly by way of the oil passage i9 and back into the upper end of the sight tube. The chemical bringing about the circulation of the oil as described prevents the chemical emulsifying with the oil, thereby maintaining clear visibility of the chemical passing through the oil.

During the use of this device only a very small amount of cil, if any, will pass into the boiler. However, when the oil is displaced in the feeder so that the body of chemical comes into view in the bottom of the sight tube the supply can be again replenished easily by pouring into the chamber 39 oil after the removal of the plug 48 and draining the accumulated chemical from the feeder through drain valve 45. Of course, the communication of the feeder with the reservoir is at this time interrupted by closing the valve 8 and the air vent 4S is open.

It is to be noted that the valve 2B is situated out of alignment with the plug 25 so that when said plug 25 is removed the sight tube can be removed without being obstructed by said valve 2B. Due to the chamber i8 acting as a reservoir or additional supply of oil for the passage i9 and sight tube 22 this device can be successfully operated over long periods of time.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a chemical supply reservoir having a control pressure connected thereto for forcing from said reservoir chemical in desired amounts, a sight feeder connected to said reservoir and to said boiler and including a vertically disposed sight tube and an oil chamber in communication therewith, said chamber having a vertically disposed tube portion connecting at its upper and lower ends with the sight tube, a feeder tip communicating with the said chemical supply reservoir and projecting into the sight tube, so that said chemical may gravitate through the oil of the sight tube and cause a circulation of the oil to be set up in the sight tube through the tube portion of the said chamber, and thereby bring about a circulation. of the oil in the sight tube in a direction of the movement of the chemical through said sight tube.

2. A sight feeder comprising a body having an oil passage disposed vertically and with spaced ends and an oil chamber in communication with the passage adjacent one of its ends, an outlet connected with said chamber and to a boiler, a sight tube connecting the ends of the oil passage and adapted to be filled with oil along with the oil passage and the oil chamber, and means for admitting a chemical under pressure into said sight tube for gravitation thereto and through the oil of said sight tube and chamber to the outlet.

3. A sight feeder comprising a body having an oil passage disposed vertically and with spaced ends and an oil chamber in communication with the passage adjacent one of its ends, an outlet connected with said chamber and to a boiler, a sight tube connecting the ends of the oil passage and adapted to be filled with oil along with the oil passage and the oil chamber, means for admitting a chemical und-er pressure into said sight tube for gravitation thereto and through the oil of said sight tube and chamber to the outlet, said gravitation of the chemical through the sight tube bringing about a circulation of the oil through the oil passage and the sight tube.

4. A sight feeder comprising a body having a vertically arranged oil passage with one end thereof directed downwardly and its opposite end directed upwardly, a sight tube connecting said ends of the passage, said body having a chamber communicating with the oil passage adjacent the lower end thereof and said chamber and passage and sight tube adapted to be filled with oil, a valve outlet in communication with said chamber, said body having a chemical passage receiving chemical from a supply under pressure, and a feeder tip connected with the chemical passage and projecting into the sight tube to discharge chemical into the oil of the sight tube for gravitation therefrom through the chamber into said outlet.

5. A sight feeder comprising a body having a vertically arranged oil passage with one end thereof directed downwardly and its opposite end dir-ected upwardly, a sight tube connecting said ends of the passage, said body having a chamber communicating with the oil passage adjacent the lower end thereof and said chamber and passage and sight tube adapted to be filled with cil, a Valve outlet in communication with said chamber, said body having a chemical passage receiving chemical from a supply under pressure, a feeder tip connected with the chemical passage and projecting into the sight' tube to discharge chemical into the oil of the sight tube for gravitation therefrom through the chamber into said outlet, and a check valve located in the chemical passage.

6. A sight feeder comprising a body having a vertically arranged oil passage with one end thereof directed downwardly and its opposite end directed upwardly, a sight tube connecting said ends of the passage, said body having a chamber communicating with the oil passage adjacent the lower end thereof and said chamber and passage and sight tube adapted to be filled with oil, a valve outlet in communication with said charnber, said body having a chemical passage receiving chemical from a supply under pressure, a feeder tip connected with the chemical passage and projecting into the sight tube to discharge chemical into the oil of the sight tube for gravitation therefrom through the chamber into said outlet, a check valve located in the chemical passage, and a vent means connected with the oil passage.

'7. A sight feeder comprising a body having a vertically arranged oil passage with one end thereof directed downwardly and its opposite end directed upwardly, a sight tube connecting said ends of the passage, said body having a chamber communicating with the oil passage adjacent the lower end thereof and said chamber and passage and sight tube adapted to be lled with oil, a valve outlet in communication with said chamber, said body having a chemical passage receiving chemical from a supply under pressure, a feeder tip connected with the chemical passage and projecting into the sight tube to discharge chemical into the oil of the sight tube for gravitation therefrom through the chamber into said outlet, a check valve located in the chemical passage, a vent means connected with the oil passage, and a sediment drain means connected with the outlet.

LEWIS V. W'ES'I. 

